Posted on 08/21/2007 5:10:38 PM PDT by xcamel
More than a dozen years after it was credited with helping turn around his first bid for public office, Fred Thompson's old pickup truck sits parked behind his mother's house in this Nashville suburb.
The red paint is faded and the tailgate hangs open, but supporters would like nothing more than to see the actor-politician leap back into the bed to make stump speeches in his bid for the White House.
The Republican has not yet announced his candidacy _ that's expected next month _ and there's been no word from Thompson's campaign about whether there will be any role for a red pickup truck. A spokeswoman for Thompson did not respond to messages seeking comment about the truck.
Early in the 1994 race, after struggling to connect with voters, Thompson decided to lease a used truck and drive around the state in what turned out to be a wildly successful effort to recast himself as a folksy man of the people.
His opponent, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, derided the truck as a cynical prop to deflect attention from Thompson's inside-the-Beltway status. But Thompson was able to shake off Cooper's suggestion that he was actually a "Gucci-wearing, Lincoln-driving, Perrier-drinking, Grey Poupon-spreading millionaireWashington special interest lobbyist."
Thompson ended up capturing more than 60 percent of the vote.
Bill Lacy, hired this month to run Thompson's campaign, has a bit of personal history with the truck _ he opposed the proposal to make the pickup a focal point when he was an adviser on the 1994 campaign.
"Fred had the good sense to ignore my advice," Lacy said in an opinion piece in The Knoxville News Sentinel in June.
But Thompson so far has not appeared overly eager to climb back into the cab. At his first public event in Nashville after forming a "testing the waters" committee in June, Thompson shook off an attempt by supporters tohave him address the crowd from the back of a brand new red pickup truck they had brought to the event.
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On the Net:
Fred Thompson: http://www.imwithfred.com
>....he still has the one showbiz contract that *has* to run out (September) before he can declare without screwing the people he used to work with.<
Then he has no business being included in polls, and going out there talking himself up to the people until he does declare. Face it, he’s been running all year, exempt from the rules other candidates must follow. It doesn’t set well.
LOL You'll be fine.
If the other candidates were smart, they could have done the same thing. It’s not illegal or unethical.
Geez! Calm down! Ever heard of "keep yer powder dry???"
I don’t know. Before it was supposed to be around the 4th of July, then it was early August. Now it’s Labor Day. I hate to sound bitter, but should we pencil in Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years as announcement dates too? Just in case Labor Day is a “slow time” like August is?
Just put it down to my being “irrationally ticked off”. IF he runs, I’ll probably get over it. In the mean time, Romney is looking better and better.
Yeah, but that’s like signaling the Titanic to “watch out for that iceberg!”. In other words, it’s too late.
Yeah...mebbe...our election cycle is WAAAAY too long.
Yeah, you’re probably right. Maybe I better start taking my meds again just in case. :)
What I think Fred is doing is to wait and see what people say before he runs for POTUS.Therefore his SandBags are there before the Flood!!!!!.....Sand-Baging works every time it is used.....
Okay. That's it. You're a troll.
Many reasonable people have explained that nobody gives a rat's a$$ about elections in August.
Get a clue. Come back in 2 months and talk to us.
He's IN. Don't you get it?
This coy act is extremely old and annoying.
There are no games being played here. Reports are that he's going to announce shortly after Labor Day.
I was a Fred! guy
No, you were never a Fredhead, because real Fredheads are confident that Fred is going to officially declare soon.
but I’m sick of this. This isn’t a game, Mr. Thompson. Run or get the hell out of the way.
WAAA! WAAA!
It isn’t a cycle, it’s a marathon.
But, if you think about it, if you can’t manage a campaign for a couple of years how are you going to manage the White House, and the country, for 4 years?
As xcamel stated that you may be suffering from pre-mature ejaculation syndrome (PE) not to be confused with Erectile (sp, never had it and do not know how to spell it) Disfunction (ED).
Anyway, check into some staying power RX or listening to Air Supply.
No, the troll is Gitmo Sailor—nothing but a disruptor.
We don't want him to be Reagan. We just want him to be himself.
....ummmm....get out of the way of WHAT?????????
October Surprise!!!!!!!!...................
Clara Lou...please don’t tell me what to say.
Settle down, Ron. After Labor Day is when people start paying attention in a campaign that has already gone on way too long.
He’s in? Well, at least I’m not the only one who missed the announcement. Seems like everyone but you did too.
I was never a Fredhead? Well, I didn’t exactly say I was. Especially if it means that Fredheads all have to think the same thing. No, not all Fredheads were ‘confident’ he was going to run. They ‘hoped’ fervently that he would, however.
I will agree with you on the “WAAA! WAAA!” part, however.
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